The Oregonian reports on Caffe Vita’s Barista Training Program for At-Risk Youth.

The pilot program, a collaboration between p:ear and coffee roaster Caffé Vita, aims to give homeless young people the experience they need to find work. At its core, the program is really about hope. In the worst recession in decades, when even college-educated people struggle to find work, it takes hope — and training — for someone with a tarnished back story and a spotty work history to land a job.

Chad Freilino spent eight weeks training five homeless young people how to become baristas as part of a collaborative pilot program between Freilino’s employer, coffee roaster Caffé Vita, and the nonprofit group p:ear. Nic Avery (center) and a young man who goes by “Jukebox” took the classes. In the coffee-swilling Northwest, barista training seemed a natural fit.

Chad Freilino, Caffé Vita’s Portland rep, and p:ear’s Sarah Dougher brainstormed the idea last year. Freilino knew of a similar program at YouthCare’s Orion Center in Seattle. Read the entire article here…